Folder



L. AKER March 24, 1936.

FOLDER Filed April 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

INVENT OR.

v LEONARD AKER Barf W A TTORNE Y March 24, 1936. AKER 2,035,254

FOLDER Filed April 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L EONA RD A KER ATTORN Y Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDER Leonard Aker, San Francisco, Calif.

Application April 22,

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in folders and has particular reference to the so-called three-dimension folders in which perspective effect is obtained not only by the inherent qualities of the pictures but also by physical separation of different sections of the picture and by mounting the different sections one in front of the other corresponding to the relative distances of the different sections presented in the picture from the observer.

More particularly it is proposed in the present invention to separate the picture to be represented on the folder into various sections which may be placed over a backing in proper succession to produce the desired picture.

It is further proposed to have the sections attached to the two side edges of the backing so that they may be folded over the latter for producing the picture.

It is further proposed to arrange the sections in such a manner that each represents an outstanding contour line of the picture, as the skyline of a mountain range, outlines of foothills, of a tree, a forest, or a locomotive moving through the foreground of the picture.

It is further proposed to arrange the sections in such a manner that they may be folded alternately from opposite sides so as to more or less firmly interlock with one another.

It is further proposed to interlock the different sections in such a manner that certain sections may be spaced from adjacent sections to accentuate certain effects.

And finally it is proposed to arrange the entire folder in such a manner that it may be made from a single blank and that all the printing necessary takes place on the same face of the blank.

Further and other objects of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a front view of the blank from which the folder is made,

Figure 2, a front view of the same blank with one section folded over the backing,

Figure 3, a similar view with two sections folded over the backing,

Figure 4, a similar view with three sections folded over the backing,

Figure 5, a similar view with four sections folded over the backing,

Figure 6, a similar view with the picture completed, and

1935, Serial No. 17,648

Figure 7, a horizontal section taken along line l'! of Figure 6.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In its preferred form my folder I is made of a single blank 2 comprising a middle piece or backing 3 and two wings 4 and 5, hinged to opposite sides of the backing as at 6. The whole blank originally is of rectangular form and the middle piece (backing) and the wings are of rectangular form and preferably equal in size. The middle piece or backing is formed with a slit 1 allowing a portion 8 to be bent'out of the plane of the backing and to serve as a support for the backing.

The backing itself is preferably plain and has no'surface ornamentation. The picture to be represented in the folder is produced altogether by the side wings which are suitably cut into sections to present contour lines and are printed on their back faces so that when they are folded over the backing, the contours and the prints will coact in producing a desired pictorial effect.

While, of course, any suitable design or pictorial illustration may be used in my folder I have selected, for the purpose of illustration, a mountain scene with a train passing through a valley in front of the mountains and a hill with a' large tree infront of the train.

This scene ofiers a number of natural contour lines, namely the skyline of the highest mountains, the contour of a somewhat lower mountain range, the outline of a single mountain in front thereof, the contour of the train, the contour ofa tree and that of a hill ascending in the foreground, and the wings are cut into sections to present these contour lines.

Referring to the arrangement in detail, the left wing 4 is out along the line 9 extending from one edge'to the other ata height about one fourth its total length from the top edge to' produce the sections Hi and H, the former section representing the sky when folded over the backing and the top edge of the section H representing the contour line of the second mountain range. The right wing 5 is out along l2 somewhat above the line 9. The section above the line I! is removed altogether while the top edge ofthe section l3 below the line forms the skyline of the highest mountain range when folded over the backing.

The wing 5 is again out along the line I4, somewhat below the line 9 of the wing 4, to produce the section l5 with the contour of the tree IB and of the hill l1 lying in front of the mountain range. The wing 4 is out again along the line I8 to produce the section 19 with the outline of the train 20.

The wing 5 is out again along the line 2| which extends from the bottom of the wing upwardly and along the tree trunk and which allows the section I9 of the wing 4 to be interlocked with the section l5 of the wing 5 so as to partly overlie and partly underlie the section IS. The line 2| also serves to define the contour of the hill 22 in the foreground.

The various sections of the two wings are folded over the backing alternately as shown in the difierent views of the drawings. shows the blank as it appears before the folding. Figure 2 shows the section IU of the wing 4 folded over the backing to present the sky. Figure 3 shows the section l3 of the wing 5 folded over the backing to present the skyline of the highest mountain range. It will be noted that the section l3 overlaps the section I!) and this overlapping of the upper section over the next lower section is maintained throughout.

Figure 4 shows the section II folded over the backing so that its upper line 9 presents the contour of the second mountain range. Figure 5 shows the section l5 of the wing 5 folded over the backing so as to present the outlines of the hill 11, the tree l6 and the hill 22 disposed in the foreground. Figure 6 finally shows the completed folder with the section IQ of the wing folded over the backing and interlocked with the section l5 by means of the cut 2| which allows the hill 22 to lie in front of the train and causes the said hill and the tree to appear in the foreground.

The various sections are suitably printed, painted or shaded to correspond with the various characters they represent.

The section I9 is provided with one or more tabs 23 adapted to be passed into corresponding slits 24 in the underlying section [5 for interlocking the sections, and the spacing of the tab 23 from the folding edge 6 is somewhat greater than the spacing of the slit 24 from the same edge so that when the tab is engaged the section 20 bulges outward for adding to the perspective effect of the assembled folder.

In a similar manner tabs may be provided in various places as at 25 to provide spacing between the various sections. Tabs of similar character may also be used to urge limited portions of individual sections in the foreground for producing half round or corner effects, to present, for instance, the tower of a castle or the corner of a house.

The advantages and manner of using my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The blanks may be very easily made in a single cutting operation and may be readily folded in the manner shown. Many different effects may be produced and the artistic effect of the folder is much enhanced by the individual contours actually presented in overlying and spaced relation.

I claim:

1. A folder comprising a backing and wings hinged to opposite edges thereof, each wing including a plurality of wing sections and the wing Figure 1 sections being foldable over the backing in alternate succession so as to expose portions of each section to view and the exposed portions having configurations thereon coacting in producing a combination effect.

2. A folder for presenting a three-dimension picture comprising a backing and wings hinged thereto, the wings being cut into sections presenting contour lines of the picture and the sections being foldable over the backing in alternate succession so as to bring the contour lines and adjacent portions into view and the adjacent portions having configurations coacting with the different contours to produce a combination effect.

3. Afolder comprising a backing, a wing foldable thereover and having an edge presenting a contour line of a picture, a second wing foldable over the backing so as to leave the contour edge of the first wing exposed to view and having an edge presenting a second contour line of the picture, the second wing having means for securing the same relative to the first wing and in spaced relation thereto.

4. A folder comprising a backing, a wing foldable thereover and having an edge presenting a contour line of a picture, a second wing foldable over the backing so as to leave the contour edge of the first wing exposed to view and having an edge presenting the second contour line of the picture, the second wing having a tab and the first wing having a slot for receiving the same and the slot and the tab being positioned so as to cause the second wing to bulge away from the first wing when the tab is positioned in the slot.

5. A folder comprising a backing, a wing foldable thereover and having an edge presenting a contour line of a picture and a second wing foldable over the backing so as to leave the contour edge of the first wing exposed to view and having an edge presenting a second contour line of the picture, the second wing being interlocked with the first wing so asto partly overlie and partly underlie the same.

6. A three-dimension folder comprising a sheet of material, a second sheet foldable thereover so as to be disposed in front of the first sheet, one of said sheets having a slot therein, a tab on the other sheet adapted to enter the slot for securing the sheets relative to one another, the slot and the tab being positioned so as to cause one of the sheets to bulge away from the other when the tab is positioned in the slot, the front sheet being shaped to render a portion of the rear sheet visible to a person viewing the folder from in front and. the latter portion and the front sheet having configurations thereon coacting in producing an artistic combination effect.

7. A three-dimension folder comprising a sheet of material, a second sheet foldable'thereover so as to be disposed in front of the first sheet, means for securing the freeedge of the first sheet to the second sheet and arranged to cause one of the sheets to bulge away from the other sheet, the front sheet being shaped to render a portion of the rear sheet visible to a person viewing the folder from in front and the latter portion and the front sheet having configurations thereon coacting in producing an artistic effect.

LEONARD AKER. 

